David Conroy has written one book so far.
The motivation was the discovery of new relatives following his mother's death.
By following up scanty clues, a story unfolded that was both tragic and heroic, relating to his mother's time in Birmingham in the early 1920s, after she left the unhappy family home in Barnstaple.
The story includes factual events, some details coming from official records, and some conjecture based on family anecdotes.